The art of video games and video gaming apparatus has progressed to the point that many games are described as being “virtual reality” (VR), a somewhat amorphous term. For practical purposes, a VR gaming apparatus places the user in a totally synthetic, computer-generated environment. Thus, in a VR gaming environment, the user interacts with (or is “immersed into”) a three-dimensional environment which is entirely computer-generated. In their more sophisticated, computationally demanding versions, VR environments can be photorealistic, three-dimensional spaces. However, everything within the VR environment is not real; every object, surface, and image is computer generated. If the environment allows for the players to be “seen” by other players, they are appear in the VR environment as avatars of the real players—that is, a computer generated image for each player in the game. When immersed in a VR environment, the user does not directly interact with the real-world environment, nor directly interact with the other players in the game.
Video games in general utilize an image generator (typically a programmable computer) to create and control the VR environment which is seen by the user, as well as in response to the user's inputs. Conventionally, this is accomplished by projecting or otherwise manifesting a dynamic, digitally generated motion picture (created by the programmable computer) onto a screen, for example via a cathode ray tube, flat panel display, etc. The image is perceived by the player, who then interacts with the dynamic image via a joy stick or other controller. This, of course, enables the player to alter or otherwise interact with the virtual environment according to the specific rules of the game being played. Conventionally, the display itself is a two-dimensional, flat, opaque surface, and the entire game is played by the player(s) interacting with the virtual images presented on the display. The player(s) do not directly interact, within the game environment, with other players or with real world objects.